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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
12. Evaluation of Print
Media
enue to support their operations. The print media must be able to attract large numbers
of readers or a very specialized audience to be of interest to advertisers.
The role of magazines and newspapers in the advertiser’s media
plan differs from that of the broadcast media because they allow the
presentation of detailed information that can be processed at the
reader’s own pace. The print media are not intrusive like radio and
TV, and they generally require some effort on the part of the reader
for the advertising message to have an impact. For this reason, newspapers and magazines
are often referred to as high-involvement media. 1 Over 80 percent of U.S. households
subscribe to or purchase magazines, while the average household buys six
different magazines each year. 2
Newspapers are received in nearly two-thirds of American households daily. Most
magazines, however, reach a very selective audience. Like radio, they can be valuable
in reaching specific types of consumers and market segments. While both magazines
and newspapers are print media, the advantages and disadvantages of the two are quite
different, as are the types of advertising each attracts. This chapter focuses on these
two major forms of print media. It examines the specific advantages and limitations of
each, along with factors that are important in determining when and how to use newspapers
and magazines in the media plan.
Over the past several decades, magazines have grown rapidly to serve the educational,
informational, and entertainment needs of a wide range of readers in both the consumer
and business markets. Magazines are the most specialized of all advertising
media. While some magazines—such as Reader’s Digest, Time, and TV Guide—are
general mass-appeal publications, most are targeted to a very specific audience. There
is a magazine designed to appeal to nearly every type of consumer in terms of demographics,
lifestyle, activities, interests, or fascination. Numerous magazines are targeted
toward specific businesses and industries as well as toward individuals engaged
in various professions (Exhibit 12-1).
The wide variety makes magazines an appealing medium to a vast number of
advertisers. Although TV accounts for the largest dollar amount of advertising expenditures
among national advertisers, more companies advertise in magazines than in
any other medium. Users of magazines range from large consumer-product companies
such as Procter & Gamble and General Motors, which spend over $400 million a year
on magazine advertising, to a small company advertising scuba equipment in Skin
Diver magazine.
Classifications of Magazines
To gain some perspective on the various types of magazines available and
the advertisers that use them, consider the way magazines are generally
classified. Standard Rate and Data Service (SRDS), the primary reference
source on periodicals for media planners, divides magazines into three
broad categories based on the audience to which they are directed: consumer,
farm, and business publications. Each category is then further classified
according to the magazine’s editorial content and audience appeal.
Consumer Magazines Consumer magazines are bought by the
general public for information and/or entertainment. SRDS divides 2,700
domestic consumer magazines into 75 classifications, among them general
editorial, sports, travel, and women’s. Another way of classifying
consumer magazines is by distribution: They can be sold through subscription
or circulation, store distribution, or both. Time and Newsweek
are sold both through subscription and in stores; Woman’s World is sold
only through stores. People magazine was originally sold only through
stores but then added subscription sales as it gained in popularity. Figure
12-1 shows the top 10 magazines in terms of subscriptions and singlecopy
sales, respectively. Magazines can also be classified by frequency;
weekly, monthly, and bimonthly are the most common.
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
The Role of Magazines
and Newspapers
Magazines
Exhibit 12-1 Magazines
targeted to a specific
industry or profession
393
Chapter Twelve Evaluation of Print Media